Laurine Lecavelier alleged to have tested positive for cocaine | Page 6 | Golden Skate

Laurine Lecavelier alleged to have tested positive for cocaine

silverfoxes

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 16, 2014
I think it is appropriate to ban illegal drugs, whether or not they are performance-enhancing. Cocaine, by the way, is addictive in whatever form. Also, it is a stimulant and can have an effect on heart rate and can even cause a stroke. There have been cases of death from cocaine use.

Christopher Bowman, anyone? Dead at age 40.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Bowman

I certainly don't know about the extent of Laurine's usage - hopefully nowhere as serious as Bowman's...but I do know that even occasional recreational use can be deadly nowadays since a lot of the stuff is cut with fentanyl. At least in the US. I don't know about Europe, but there is always that risk of impurities. It's just a very bad idea for an active athlete to be dabbling around with street drugs at all.
 

SarahSynchro

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 7, 2014
Country
Canada
That's why Oksana Baiul could perform at SOI 'under the influence' and not be banned.

You’re comparing apples to oranges.

Stars On Ice is a skating show for fans, featuring well known skaters, for entertainment purposes, hence your use of the word “perform.”

It’s completely different from being an active, eligible athlete, competing at the highest level of the sport, internationally, where national, world, and olympic championships are on the line. In this situation, the rules against doping are very strict and must be followed. Rightfully so.

There is no internationally governing body overseeing the illegal doping of athletes who perform in shows. Likely, the policy of each individual show’s substance use - whether legal or illegal - is covered in the terms and conditions of the skater’s contract.
 

Skater Boy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
It is a sad statement about society and life that we merely spoke about Laurine - est there were a few fans but or the most part no one cared about her until these allegations.
 

SXTN

Final Flight
Joined
Jun 5, 2008
It is a sad statement about society and life that we merely spoke about Laurine - est there were a few fans but or the most part no one cared about her until these allegations.

I don't think that's true. She was an established skater who got respected and appreciated by many (even though she was rather inconsistent and not a medal contender at most events). She made the costume change popular again and she was one of the first skaters to use "Experience" by Ludovico Enaudi which was then used by so many other skaters after. She left her mark on figure skating. And even if she only landed two clean triples you remembered her performances.

This incident will probably be the end of her career. But I really hope she can get her act together again and develop a more healthy attitude towards herself. Cocaine can be traced in your blood for 24 hours and in your urine for 2-3 days. It's unlikely she was trying out "new party stuff" 2-3 days prior to a competition risking a positive test or even risking other side effects that would have made her withdraw from that competition. She took cocaine on purpose for the event in September, that's how it is. If you do drugs "for fun" you start in a safe environment and you make sure you have enough time to recover. But if drugs make it to important events in your life, you are already in deep trouble and probably more experienced. And cocaine is not a party drug only. The effect of cocaine is rather short-term (about one hour) and it does enhance your performance in the way that you feel good and strong - both psychologically and physically. That's why it is so commonly used by politicians, business people, TV celebs and so on.
 

DSQ

Record Breaker
Joined
Apr 14, 2018
Country
United-Kingdom
^

You’re making a lot of assumptions there. Long term cocaine users can test positive for use much longer than a couple of days after so there’s no evidence that she was using for doping reasons.
 

SXTN

Final Flight
Joined
Jun 5, 2008
^

You’re making a lot of assumptions there. Long term cocaine users can test positive for use much longer than a couple of days after so there’s no evidence that she was using for doping reasons.

I didn't say for doping reasons only. I'm afraid she is long term user already.. And I wish her luck and I hope she can solve her problems.

If you do cocaine 3 times a year for fun you are clean at competitions because you don't need it regularly. You can manage important events in your life without it. But if cocaine is in your blood/urine at a competition, something is really going wrong in your life and you start losing control over your drug use.

There are lists of people in sports who got tested positive with cocaine. It's more mental doping
 

SXTN

Final Flight
Joined
Jun 5, 2008
^

You’re making a lot of assumptions there. Long term cocaine users can test positive for use much longer than a couple of days after so there’s no evidence that she was using for doping reasons.

And by the way: I'm not talking about doping or that she should get banned forever, I am talking about drug addiction. Obviously she has had some rough times and I hope she has nice people around her who help her get through this.
 

Ic3Rabbit

Former Elite, now Pro. ⛸️
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 9, 2017
Country
Olympics
That's why Oksana Baiul could perform at SOI 'under the influence' and not be banned.
It was Champions on Ice for Baiul, not SOI.
You’re comparing apples to oranges.

Stars On Ice is a skating show for fans, featuring well known skaters, for entertainment purposes, hence your use of the word “perform.”

It’s completely different from being an active, eligible athlete, competing at the highest level of the sport, internationally, where national, world, and olympic championships are on the line. In this situation, the rules against doping are very strict and must be followed. Rightfully so.

There is no internationally governing body overseeing the illegal doping of athletes who perform in shows. Likely, the policy of each individual show’s substance use - whether legal or illegal - is covered in the terms and conditions of the skater’s contract.

I understand the point you are trying to make but as a former elite, now pro, I’m going to tell you it’s not all that different.

Not to mention that nowadays the SOI cast mostly consists of eligible elite athletes and not many pros. Back in the day it was all pro.
 

ladyjane

Medalist
Joined
Jun 26, 2012
Country
Netherlands
I had a nice chat with our National doping authority some years ago. It was all to do with safe food supplements, and whether certain food supplements should be considered as foods or not (as the legislation is somewhat different, even if the safety requirements are similar). Not relevant here, but we also touched on other issues, and they surprised me in stating that for certain activities, like working out at fitness schools, or certain pro sports, they actually focussed on safe use of doping. Not because they were in favour of the practice (in fact in Olympic sports they naturally followed the rules in place) and they were strict with regard to top sport, and its athletes. But they would rather have these schools at least taking normal safety precautions with regard to this stuff, then punishing them for making it at all possible to use the stuff. In fact there was nothing to punish, as these 'athletes' didn't take part in official sports events like Nationals, Euros, let alone Olympics. And the substances used weren't forbidden for general use.

In answer to my question why they could even condone the use, they said simply that they didn't but also that they weren't an enforcement agency with these particular sports and/or athletes as the sporters couldn't care less about what's allowed and what isn'tin official sports. They would use stuff to blow up their muscles, and according to the people at the Agency there are on that score both more and less dangerous practices in place. So, they worked on getting these schools to at least take physical risks into account rather than the really dangerous ones.

However, whether it's a sport where doping is forbidden (most of them) or whether it's a sport not acknowledged as an official one, and people just don't care because they're not aiming for a World Championship or an Olympics, I don't think cocaine use would be part of these enhancing practices. You either use it for fun (what fun!) or you're addicted.

As a substance it's forbidden almost everywhere (although, and I am Dutch and we're pretty liberal on that score, in many places the use is tolerated even if the trade is not). Not as doping, but as a drug to which one can get addicted.

I hope it's just a try-out and Laurine didn't realise how destructive coke can be. I hope this whole thing has been a kind of lesson, and that she'll be back. Why not? There are quite a few Figure skaters who have coped with alcohol problems, and turned that around. I don't see much difference, except that alcohol is legal. As SXTN says: I hope she'll get through this.

Sorry about the not so relevant introduction to this post. Just wanted to illustrate that even Doping agencies see doping differently from drug addiction, and that cocaine use is always out of the question.
 

beachmouse

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 23, 2017
I was (professionally) talking to some employees of our own Doping Authority once, and they have a list (freely available on internet, not just available for high level athletes) of all substances, even of nutritional supplements which are unsafe - I'm sorry to say those were mostly of Chinese origin. I suppose all these kind of authorities have such lists. Why not use that when you have a swelling, are feeling unwell, or whatever? Of course the team Medical official can help, but it's so easy to check. Not even mentioning cocaine. Really?

this may have been brought up but I beleivethere was a track and field athlete who successfully argued orgot the benefit of the doubt that there was cocaiinhis system because he hired a escort/hooker and he kissed her and that's how the cocaine enteredthe system. He was such a mess though he did very poorly at theolympics wasmy recollection. Like someone said France's skaters are havingsome issues. Laurine though doesn't have as a huge impact as Morgan as there are several female skatersatthe same level roughly

Canada's Shawn Barber:

https://www.macleans.ca/news/shawn-barber-tested-positive-cocaine/

Barber came out as gay in 2017 and gets a certain amount of sympathy in retrospect as someone who was struggling with that as well as success at a young age by T&F standards (he was a pole vault world champ a 21) when the drug positive happened.
 

Harriet

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 23, 2017
Country
Australia
Hi Harriet! Trying to send you a message but it won't let me. Hope you are enjoying the competition in Graz.

Rats, I thought I'd set things up so I could get messages from you! Sorry! I'll try to fix that. :)


The competition has been wonderful except for poor Kevin's meltdown in the Men's SP, but this isn't the place to talk about that...
 

moonvine

All Hail Queen Gracie
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 14, 2007
Country
United-States
Christopher Bowman, anyone? Dead at age 40.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Bowman

I certainly don't know about the extent of Laurine's usage - hopefully nowhere as serious as Bowman's...but I do know that even occasional recreational use can be deadly nowadays since a lot of the stuff is cut with fentanyl. At least in the US. I don't know about Europe, but there is always that risk of impurities. It's just a very bad idea for an active athlete to be dabbling around with street drugs at all.

It’s a bad idea for ANYONE to be dabbling around with street drugs. I’m surprised my ex is still alive.
 

kaitlinicole

Rinkside
Joined
Jan 13, 2014
Hmmm. While cocaine is definitely not a performance enhancing drug from an athletic perspective, the fact that she used it knowing there was a chance she’d be tested indicates a problem to me. Similar to a dui, in many cases it might seem out of the blue to hear about someone getting one who seems “together”. Often it’s a habitual problem by the time it gets that far, not dumb luck that the one time you drive you get caught. Hope she has some support to nip this in the bud. A four year suspension would be heartbreaking I’m sure.
 
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